Israel's military forces released a video on Monday, November 13, that showed what it claimed to be weaponry kept by the militant group Hamas in the basement of a children's hospital in Gaza. Israel also claimed that captives seem to have been held in the same location.
Evidence of Hostages
Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari, the military's official spokesman, said that a command center equipped with firearms, including grenades, suicide vests, and other explosives, was discovered by soldiers in the basement of Rantissi facility, a pediatric center that specializes in treating cancer patients.
"We also found signs that indicate that Hamas held hostages here. This is currently under investigation. But we also have intelligence that verifies it," he said in a televised conference, as reported by Reuters.
Hagari showed footage of what looked like primitive living quarters, complete with a tiny kitchen and a nearby underground shaft that he said went to the home of a senior Hamas naval officer. "Hamas took all this area under its control and conducted its war against Israelis from this hospital," he emphasized.
As retribution for Hamas' October 7 attack, Israel has begun a heavy airstrike campaign against the Gaza Strip and has followed it up with a military operation that has seen forces infiltrate deep into the territory. There have been more than 11,000 fatalities in Gaza, according to Palestinian health authorities.
There were still hundreds of patients in Gaza's largest hospital, Al Shifa, on Monday as Israeli tanks waited outside the facility's gates.
Throughout the assault, Israel has claimed that Hamas has been hiding command centers and weapon positions in hospitals and other civilian facilities while also utilizing civilians and hospital patients as human shields.
Hamas and the heads of Gaza's hospitals have both denied that their facilities have been exploited in this manner. Hamas has so far said nothing in response to the recent Israeli remarks.
EXCLUSIVE RAW FOOTAGE: Watch IDF Spokesperson RAdm. Daniel Hagari walk through one of Hamas' subterranean terrorist tunnels—only to exit in Gaza's Rantisi hospital on the other side.
— Israel Defense Forces (@IDF) November 13, 2023
Inside these tunnels, Hamas terrorists hide, operate and hold Israeli hostages against their… pic.twitter.com/Nx4lVrvSXH
The Already Dire Conditions
A series of power outages has exacerbated an already dire humanitarian situation in Gaza. These shortages have begun to affect Al Shifa Hospital, the main medical institution in Gaza.
In a report on Monday, there have been nine patient deaths, including six infants born prematurely. World Health Organization (WHO) Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus recently issued a statement expressing deep worry about the present state of matters, calling it "dire and perilous."
Premature newborns are among the patient populations that Ghebreyesus has highlighted as being especially vulnerable.
The closure of Al Shifa and Al Quds Hospital, Gaza's second-largest medical institution, is a major shift.
Israeli snipers have reportedly been shooting at anybody approaching Al Shifa Hospital, trapping many inside. The United Nations has demanded an end to assaults on Gaza's healthcare facilities. Israel has said it would permit the evacuation of patients and people.
